Alright, so the other day I was craving something hearty and warm, and I stumbled upon this recipe for Olga’s Kitchen Peasant Soup. I’d heard good things, so I thought, why not give it a shot? I grabbed my apron and got to work.
First off, I gathered all my ingredients. I already had most of them in my pantry, which was a good start. I did have to run out and pick up some ground lamb, about a pound of it. Then I got to chopping. I diced up one medium onion and a couple of stalks of celery. I also had a few carrots lying around, so I peeled and sliced those up too.
Cooking time! I heated up some oil in my big ol’ soup pot—it’s about 3 quarts, I think—over medium heat. Once it was hot, I tossed in the onions, carrots, and celery. I let those cook for about 7 minutes, just until they got a little soft and the onions started to turn translucent. You could smell the delicious aroma starting to fill my kitchen.
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- A few carrots, peeled and sliced
- Oil for sautéing
Adding the Rest
After saute the vegetables, and I realized I was missing some key ingredients. I’d forgotten the split peas, the ham hock, and some herbs and seasonings. A quick search online gave me some ideas for substitutes, but it wasn’t quite the same. I added some water to the pot, hoping it would still turn out okay. I also threw in a bay leaf and some salt and pepper for extra flavor.
I let the soup simmer for a while, maybe around 30 minutes, to let all the flavors meld together. It was tough, but I resisted the urge to peek too often. While it was simmering, I cooked the ground lamb separately in a pan until it was browned and cooked through.
Once the soup was done, I added the cooked lamb to the pot. I stirred everything together and let it heat through for a few more minutes. It smelled absolutely amazing by this point, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.
Finally, it was time to serve it up! I ladled the soup into bowls. It made about 6 servings, which was perfect for me and a few friends I’d invited over. We all agreed, it was a pretty tasty soup, even with my little mishaps along the way. Not exactly Olga’s Kitchen quality, but still hearty and satisfying. Definitely a recipe I’ll try again, maybe with all the right ingredients next time!
So there you have it, my little adventure making Olga’s Kitchen Peasant Soup. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a fun experiment, and the end result was still pretty darn good. Cooking doesn’t always go to plan, but that’s part of the fun, right?
